No Matter What
by Mekuda
Summary: Flame Prince and Fionna traverse to a land known as Woobeewoo Swamp, a known place that is rivaled with the Fire Kingdom. Originally being a fun-time trip for the two, it dreadfully erupts into a series of calamity. [HIATUS]
1. Adventure With Me?

Chapter One: Adventure With Me?

The pure vibrancy of the moon was slowly rising over the Land of Aaa, and Fionna and Flame Prince's special day together was being forced to come to an end. They had spent all day together on the make-shift island for the prince and now it was time for Fionna to return to her home in the Tree House. They had often spent days together like this. The bashful girl wanted to stay longer, but it was growing late and sooner or later she wouldn't be able to navigate her way back home through the darkness. Thankfully, Cake would be able to aid her, but even the nocturnal cat had difficulty traveling and seeing at night.

"Alright, let's hurry this up," Cake shouted through her paws at a distance from the two. "Mama's tired and needs her bee-yoo-tee sleep!"

Fionna half-ignored the stubborn cat. Her mind was locked on the boy in front of her. She stood in front of Flame Prince with her head bowed down, her attention directed to the grass. It was time to say their good-byes for the night. Even though they had known each other for a while and were more than good friends, she still couldn't help but feel fluttery around the dashing prince. They felt something special for each other, but every time they came into contact it was as if they fell in love with each other all over again. She sheepishly rubbed her arm and lightly smiled. A ray of rose color stained her porcelain cheeks. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow, FP," she meekly giggled. The young girl now looked up at him with newfound confidence in herself.

Flame Prince warmly smiled back and nodded in agreement. "Of course!" He cheered. It was almost as if he held no real romantic emotion at all in that sentence, but it was only Fionna's imagination.

Oh no. Ohno,ohno,ohno. Maybe their love was dying all too quickly? That was it! He didn't love her anymore! That's why he didn't show any true signs of emotion! Or maybe she was just overreacting again like she always did. Nonetheless, Fionna's heart began to race at a rapid pace, knowing she had to do something to fix this blunder no matter what. Her face grew hotter, but she ignored the blushing as she now presented a new set of ideas; "Let's go on an adventure tomorrow!" The girl raised a fist high in the air, expressing her excitement for the idea. Maybe FP would feel ecstatic about the idea too.

He casually nodded and smiled as he did previously, however with a little sign of romance much to the human girl's pleasure. "Sure thing. Name any desired destination and I'll be happily obliged to accompany such a beautiful girl on her journey."

Mathematical! This was just the suggestion that would mend their love together again! Flame Prince was already expressing it through his poetic words. Now all that Fionna had to do was think of a location to travel. There were so many places in the vast Land of Aaa to go to, so they were filled with endless possibilities. However, they couldn't exactly return to the Fire Kingdom because of Flame Prince's psychotic mother. And they couldn't go to the Candy Kingdom, _or any other kingdom_ for that matter, because everyone was somewhat fearful of the scorching and once evil Flame Prince. And they couldn't go to any sort of forest area or else the place would surely rise up in flames. The more and more Fionna thought about how limited their options were, the more difficult this journey set out to be. She decided to shuffle her cards and pick the first one that appeared on top of the deck, so that way she wouldn't have to care about the consequences. "I know! Let's go to Woobeewoo!" She cheered with an eager smile.

Flame Prince didn't seem to mirror such enthusiasm. He timidly rubbed the back of his neck and looked down at the ground in worry, not exactly agreeing with the idea. "Isn't that… isn't that a swamp-like domain? Where the rain falls nonstop? I'm not entirely sure that someone of my state would be able to survive in an area like that."

Fionna subconsciously slapped her head, failing to have come to that realization beforehand. She only made herself look like a selfish idiot with such a statement. Now FP would think nothing but the worst of her!

"That's alright," Cake butted in, moving to their sides. The couple looked down at her in surprise. "We can get umbrellas and giant leaves and boats to protect you from the dangers water. Protect _us_," she quickly added in, considering it was a known fact that most felines detested water. The cat suddenly puckered her lips and narrowed her eyes, indicating an emotion of irritancy. "Now can we please get going? My feet hurt, I'm hungry, and I want to go to bed. Hurry up with your mooshy-goo-goo so I can get to bed already!"

Flame Prince and Fionna suddenly turned to each other once more, consumed with both romance and mortification. They wanted to portray some sort of kiss like how they would with a rock, but Cake was right beside them so it would have been embarrassing. Besides, that cat would have gotten in between their passion anyway. Fionna offered a friendly smile and lifted her hand in the air. "Good night, FP. I'll see you tomorrow," she sweetly cooed.

Flame Prince returned her smile and gently hovered his hand in front of hers, being careful not to burn her. It was the closest they were able to touch without actually making contact, and it was good enough for them. "Good night, my beautiful princess," he spoke, his words soft against the breath that slipped from his lips.

Fionna's face flushed to a deeper shade of red. She turned to Cake, who suddenly grew in size, and climbed atop the enormous cat. The feline then turned from the area and began to stride back to their own little humble abode. Fionna shut her eyes and rested her head on the soft cat's fur, rubbing her cheeks into the fluff. Her stomach fluttered with butterflies, eager to begin their adventure together. She absolutely couldn't wait to spend the day with FP.

* * *

The sun rose earlier than normal, or at least it did for the zealous human girl who was the first to stretch out of her bed. In all honesty, it was still partially dark out, but Fionna was excited for the day to start. She rolled from her bed and slouched onto her feet. She forced herself up and began to trudge into the kitchen to fetch everyone a meal. She had stayed up much later than normal planning their trip to the swamp. She wanted their adventure to go absolutely perfect. Fionna had to use her map to direct their path around the land so that way Flame Prince would be safe while traveling. She didn't want him to set anything on fire or burn out. Both of those would result in dire consequences. Fionna wouldn't normally do something as boring as to making plans and details for an adventure, but she didn't want any trouble.

While waiting on the breakfast to heat, Fionna felt it was necessary to wake up Cake and tell her of the little plan set up. The jolly girl skipped from the kitchen and danced through the house and retreated back to the bedroom where Cake still lied asleep. Using her dancing foot, Fionna tapped the bundle of fur's nose. At first, Cake only scratched at it and scrunched her nose. The second time she was touched, she grimaced and rolled away with her face buried in her bunk. Fionna puffed out her cheeks as she stood over the stubborn animal. She cupped her hands around her mouth, coming up with a new plan, and screamed: "CAKE, WAKE UP!" An accomplished smile appeared over her cheeks when the scaredy-cat screamed in fear, leapt out of her bed and clawed onto the ceiling.

Cake's eyes were wide eyed as she gripped onto the ceiling for dear life. "Fionna! Watch out, baby! We got an intruder on our hands!" Her eyes darted all around in search of the fiend, but her search went to waste when a giggle erupted from Fionna's lips.

"Nah, girl. It was just me. You ain't got nothin' to worry about!" She brightly cheered with a wave of her hand.

Cake glared for a moment before stretching herself down with her limbs and landed on her back. She continued to lie on her back as her arms returned to her stomach. One of Cake's arms stretched forward and roughly shoved a finger into Fionna's nose. "Whatchu want so early in the morning, gurl? Don't you realize what time it is?!" The sunlight was just now barely peeking over Aaa's horizon.

Fionna let out a sorry-giggle and sat down in front of cake. She pulled out a map of Aaa and stretched it out in front of them. Cake rolled over on her stomach to get a better look at the thing. The human girl then pointed her finger onto the map, indicating the location of the swamp. "I made a safe path for us! This way none of the land will burn and FP won't get hurt. We might run into a couple bad guys here and there, but our manly muscles will keep them away. I just wanted to know if you thought this was a safe path for all of us. So let me explain it to you…" Fionna ended up describing the pathways using the red marks she drew on the sheet of paper. When she was finished, she looked up at Cake with eyes of determination, her pupils sparkling.

Cake studied the map. She studied the map a little too closely, in fact; her face was rubbing all over it. She sucked her face back into her skull and looked up at Fionna with approval as she flickered her tail to and fro. "I think with this plan, we won't have anything to worry about." Cake shoved herself to her feet and stretched out her back, taking in the heat of the day. It was far too early for such a sluggish cat like her. The animal's ears suddenly narrowed and the fur on her back lifted. A foul smell filled her nose. Something like smoke. Her nostrils flared and her eyes widened in realization. "Something's burning!" She shrieked in horrification, not having a clue of what it could be.

Fionna opened her mouth wide and slapped her cheek. "Oh no! My eggs!" She turned away and darted for the kitchen to set out the smoke.

* * *

Cake and Fionna set out early that morning to head to Flame Prince's premises. It was somewhat of a distant travel considering he was nearly on the edge of Aaa, and their house was more towards the center. However, they had to keep him somewhat at a distance to keep him hidden. That way no one would bother him. On the way, Cake and Fionna partook in singing and dancing and rapping and jumping and climbing and all of those common travel doodly-doos. They made sure to pack a lot of food in case one of them grew hungry or thirsty or just wanted a snack. The map was secured safely in Fionna's backpack, along with all of their other junk. Everything that could possibly go right was going right.

As Cake and Fionna traveled, the human girl began to feel anxious about something. During their conversation last night, Fionna hadn't even asked if Flame Prince wanted to go on an adventure. She only presented it herself. Maybe he was only going because of her. She should have asked where he wanted to go. There she went again, only minding her own desires. She sucked in her cheeks in frustration, trying her hardest not to show any signs of foul emotion.

But Cake saw right through her tantrum and began to worry. She tapped a light paw on Fionna's shoulder, waking the girl from her thoughts. "You alright, baby? Got something you want to talk about?" She asked, looking up at the human from her corner of her eyes.

Fionna tried to hold it in, but ended up letting it all out in one enormous breath. "I wanted to go on this adventure so that way FP and I could grow closer together in our relationship because yesterday I thought we were feeling sort of distant so I asked him to go to the swamp so we could mend a stronger bond between each other but I didn't even ask _if_ he wanted to go or _where_ he wanted to go and maybe he doesn't want to go to the swamp at all and now he might not have any fun and we're just going to grow more and more distant from each other until one day he won't even bother to talk to me anymore and he'll get super evil again and we'll have to fight each other and I won't be able to hurt him because I love him and he doesn't love me and it's all my fault!" She pulled at the bags under her eyes after coming to these devastating realizations.

Cake only let out an amused chuckle and waved her paws about in front of her. "Wooo, guuurl, you sure got some funky imagination! You are overreacting and need to calm down and take. A deep. Breath." Cake took in a deep breath and waited for Fionna to take one too. Then they both let it out at the same time. "Good, good. You're doing real good. Now I'm pretty sure I remember him asking where you wanted to go and that he'd be happy to join you wherever you went. Don't you remember him saying 'Name any desired destination and I'll be happily obliged to accompany such a beautiful girl on her journey'?" She mimicked his voice and molded her body so that she looked like Flame Prince.

Fionna let out a sigh of relief and a bashful smile as she stared at the dirt in contentment. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I dunno. I guess I'm just a little nervous, is all," she whispered as she rubbed her arm like she always did when she was feeling anxious.

Cake returned to her normal state and patted her friend on the back. She smiled sweetly up at the girl. "You guys are in love. You've spent days upon days with each other, so what's one more day to you? You don't have to feel nervous. It's just a little day-time trip. As long as you have fun and don't think too hard about it, then you have nothing to fear. Just enjoy each other's company."

"You always know what to say," Fionna cheered with a light smile. She clenched her fists in front of her and now portrayed a determined grin, ready to begin the day with this adventure. "Alright! No more worries! We're just going to spend a day together in the swamp. It'll be just like any other day!" The two of them finally approached Flame Prince's home, and upon seeing FP, Fionna's legs immediately felt numb and melted into jello. So much for all that confidence.

Flame Prince approached the two girls with a fire-proof bag on his back and smiled casually at them. "So, are we ready to go? Uh, Fionna?" His facial expression immediately turned to concern as he stared at the strange girl in wonder.

The human girl could barely stand on her feet. She used Cake's head to keep her balance, but it hardly seemed to work. Her knees shook wildly about. How embarrassing. Fionna's face felt hot as she looked up at the dashing prince and trembled about. "Uh-huh. Just a little tired is all. I'll wake up in a minute," although that was a lie. She was wide awake, especially in the presence of such a beautiful boy. She patted on Cake's back so the feline could grow bigger and she climbed on the animal's back. There was no way her weak knees were about to carry her around. Once she regained relaxation, she'd be sure to be on her feet again.

"Which way are we headed?" Flame Prince asked as they all walked together. He looked up at Fionna for answers.

"Oh! Uhh…" Fionna quickly removed the map from her bag and looked at it. She didn't know how to explain it to him, considering FP didn't know much about the world except for the Fire Kingdom. Instead of explaining, she handed it off to him so he could observe the map. "Here. Take a look."

Cake's eyes widened at what they were doing. "Wait! It's gonna-"

Without thinking, Flame Prince reached his hand out to grab it but the fragile piece of paper immediately sizzled into flames. It was too late to pull back. The damage was already done. His chest jumped in fear and shame at the scorching of the precious map. "Oh! I… I uhh… I'm sorry!" He stuttered, bewildered that he had done such a dreadful thing.

"No probs," Fionna giggled as she pointed at her head with a wink. "I got it all memorized in my noodle. And if we ever get lost then we can always ask for directions." The truth was that she only memorized some of the map and only partially knew her way around the Land of Aaa. However, she didn't want to make FP feel bad and ruin their entire relationship, so she decided to keep her mouth shut. Unfortunately, now she was forced to explain their destination, which would be rather hard for her. "We're going to head through… the forest. N-not through the forest, but around it, but not so around it that we end up going through the tall-grass fields. Uh… uh… it's more like-"

"How about when we have to turn, you tell me when to turn?" Cake interrupted.

Fionna flaunted a bashful smile and nodded. That seemed like the best idea.

Throughout the day the trio traveled through the Land of Aaa. Fionna was even able to stand firmly on her feet after getting use to the prince's elegant presence. Not once had they gotten lost thanks to Fionna's special map-memorizing skills. She was able to roughly guide them throughout the land offering her strange instructions, but it seemed to manage them alright. A few monsters and enemies crossed their path that they were easily able to slay, so there was nothing to worry about. They went on undefeated as ruthless warriors, destroying every evil-doer in their path. All of the action was also able to mentally speed up their trip with all of the excitement going about. In a matter of no time they'd be able to reach Woobeewoo Swamps.

* * *

**I'm not actually a fan of Fionna's world at all, and I never really cared for any of her pairings. I'm all about FinnxPB baby. B) However, I ended up seeing this really cute picture that inspired me to write this story. I'm not going to bother showing you yet, or else it will show a spoiler in the story, so I'll show you once that scene comes. **


	2. Smooth Bonding

Chapter Two: Smooth Bonding

The golden sun was now high above their heads and they were nearly at the location of Woobeewoo Swamp. As they traveled, the presence of monsters and witches and ghouls became less and less, so the trip became quite boring. They were able to entertain themselves with games and tricks and jokes, but it still wasn't enough for the small attention spanned characters. Thankfully they didn't have much waiting time, for their desired location was only a few hills away. They could practically see the edge of the raining forest, or maybe that was just their imagination.

A sudden screech erupted from the depths of the sky, a screech similar to that of a bird. In fact, it _was_ a bird. The trio all turned and looked up at the sky, shielding their eyes from the blinding sun, and down swooped an enormous bird. Its wings flapped so heavily that it almost knocked the characters over. As it came nearer, they recognized the animal to be the morrow, Prince Gumball's loyal servant and bird friend. "Helloooo, my friends!" A familiar welcoming voice called. The morrow let out another screech and moved its head to the side, revealing the prince sitting firmly on top of its back. The pink of his skin glistened in the light of the sun. He seemed somewhat tired and rather busy, yet he had enough time to fly all the way out there to see them and enough energy to flaunt a floral smile. "What a bright and sunny day it is!"

"Hey PG," Fionna said with a grin and a wave. She jumped up to the prince and high fived him. "What brings you all the way out here? Don't you have royal duty stuff to do?"

Prince Gumball sighed and nodded, and his face seemed to mask a deep thought. "At this hour, I normally would be. However, I absolutely had to deliver this important message to Woobeewoo. I was going to have my messenger do it, but he claimed that this was his bingo day, so I had to come and deliver it myself." He huffed at the thought and curser the messenger for his desire of bingo, but continued on with his ranting. "I do not exactly have time for tasks such as this. I still have so much work to do in the Candy Kingdom, not to mention that Marshall Lee and I were going to spend some time together later today. I suppose now I will have to move him to tomorrow. He will not be too happy about that," he groaned, rubbing his cheeks in frustration.

"You know," Fionna suddenly stated, beginning to offer her aid. "We were actually just heading to Woobeewoo now. If you'd like, we could deliver that message to the kingdom for you. I know how dirty it gets in there and how much of a germ-o-phobic you are. Besides, the forest is thick and confusing if you don't know your way around inside like I do. I'd be happy to deliver that message for you."

Prince Gumball seemed to stare at her for a moment in disbelief. His eyes trailed behind her and now looked at Flame Prince, dwelling deeper into bewilderment. "And you are taking Flame Prince with you to Woobeewoo?" He asked, his voice almost in a whisper.

At that moment, Flame Prince seemed to mask that same worried expression as Gumball, but he did well not to show it in front of the human girl.

Fionna gave a funny look to the chunk of gum, wondering what was blowing his bubbles. She always had a crush on him in the past, but it died away after meeting Flame Prince. Maybe what was bothering Prince Gumball was that he had feelings for the girl and was just now expressing it. Maybe he was jealous that Fionna invited FP and not PG. "Yeah… we planned it yesterday. Say, are you jealou-"

"Oh, no no no!" Prince Gumball protested while waving his hands in the air in front of him. "It is just that such a place as Woobeewoo is dangerous for the Flame Prince or anyone of the Fire Kingdom. They have never gotten along, and it would be disastrous to bring someone like him."

"We've covered that!" Cake cheered, lifting up a few umbrellas from Fionna's backpack.

Obviously they didn't know what he was talking about. Prince Gumball narrowed his eyes, realizing that they didn't comprehend the ferocious past between Woobeewoo Kingdom and the Fire Kingdom. It was a big part of history that these two ladies apparently skipped out on, but he wasn't about to scold them now. He was in a rush, after all. However, it dawned on him that Flame Prince still desired to go. The ball of fire obviously knew the consequences of entering that place, so why did he still desire to venture forward? Gumball couldn't help but to naturally assume that Flame Prince was planning on sabotaging the innocent land, but again he didn't have time to question it. If anything went wrong, Fionna and Cake would be sure to stop him.

The Prince of Candy pulled out an envelope and handed it to the human girl. Fionna firmly grasped it and gently slid it into her backpack. She then looked at Prince Gumball for further instructions. "Now, you will want to give that directly to the king," Gumball informed, the morrow already lifting off of its feet. "Tell him it is from Prince Gumball himself and it is urgent that he reads it. Please try and deliver it today. I do not want it at a late arrival." The morrow began to lift him up higher into the air. He stared down at the trio, wishing them one last goodbye. He refused to depart without looking at Flame Prince and delivering his own personal message; "You be careful, down there." And with that, the morrow let out one last screech and flapped its mighty wings before dashing off into the sky again.

The trio watched him soar away in wonder. Cake was the first to look away and immediately began to dig inside of Fionna's backpack. "What juicy secrets do you think PG is keeping inside that letter?" She sang, shrinking her body so that she could fit inside.

Fionna pouted and removed her bag. "You can't just go snooping around in their business! It might be something really personal!" Fionna dug her entire arm inside until she picked up the feline and tore the letter from the cat's grip, shoving it back into the bag.

Cake shrugged and chuckled before growing big again. "Hey, I'm just curious! Let's get going." Cake began to walk again, and Fionna and Flame Prince followed behind.

As the three of them walked, Flame Prince seemed to feel more and more nervous. He was perfectly fine in the beginning of the trip, but as they got closer he couldn't help but feel anxious. Throughout most of their traveling he was able to keep his cool, and he thought he could keep his cool the entire time, but now that they were getting closer he was slipping. The prince didn't want to worry Fionna or make her nervous as well, so that's why he tried to keep so calm. Now his chest was aching and his heart was racing. It was well known that the Fire Kingdom and Woobeewoo Swamp didn't get along. They were constantly fighting, and now Flame Prince was about to step foot into that wretched wasteland. He could have very well been risking his life just to please Fionna over something so little. That was the price that love had to pay. He hoped he'd be lucky and not run into any danger, so he decided to take that risk just for Fionna.

The human girl could obviously sense something was wrong with the boy; she could tell just by the way he tightly gripped his bag. "You're tense," she mentioned, staring at him directly. Flame Prince awaked from his thoughts and looked at her. Fionna smiled at him in hopes that it would comfort him, and he returned a nervous grin. "Is something wrong? Is it because we're going to the swamp? We can go back, if you like." Oh great. Her cute little boyfriend was tensing up because of the rain they were about to face. He wouldn't be able to survive and now he was worrying about that. Before they knew it, they'd break up and they would say goodbye to their once passionate romance and it was all her fault.

"No, it's fine," he breathed, turning his attention back to the ground. "I'm just a little concerned about the mudscamps. My people and the mudscamps have bickered since the beginning of time. I'm worried that if they spot me, they'll do something devastating. I don't want any more friction than there already is."

Fionna cocked an eyebrow at this strange talk, not comprehending what he was saying. "The mudscamps? Those are good little fish-people. They wouldn't hurt a thing!"

Flame Prince's eyes narrowed. His grip grew tighter on his backpack straps, recalling the past and everything incorporated with it. "Fionna… they destroyed nearly half of our kingdom in attempt to advance before us. They summoned a massive flood that burned out most of our people. That was centuries ago, of course, but the damage will forever scar our hearts. Because of such a tragic event, we've had to defend ourselves. We're not evil because we want to be, but because we have to be. Ever since that flood, we've been in constant wars in order to protect ourselves or to bring them down. On several occasions we were able to defeat them. Our last battle resulted in burning down almost their entire village. Woobeewoo was rebuilding for years. We haven't been in any battle since that time, so it's assumed that they've surrendered for good. However… I'm worried that by me traveling into the kingdom that it'll only stir up more trouble."

Fionna suddenly stopped, and Flame Prince and Cake continued to walk before coming to the realization that their friend stopped moving. They came to a halt and looked back at her in confusion. Cake was about to ask if everything was alright, but Fionna quickly interrupted her.

"Why didn't you tell me about all of this crazy stuff? I would have never decided to bring you here!" Fionna shouted, planting her feet firmly into the ground. "FP, this is bad. If we go in there, then you're going to get hurt. I'm already worried about the rain, but now there's a chance that you might get beat up! What's wrong with you?! Why didn't you tell me?!"

Flame Prince portrayed extremely sheepish emotion as he kept his gaze locked onto the ground. "Our horrid past is well known across the land. I assumed you knew and were willing to take the risk. I suppose I was just willing to take the risk with you." His gaze deepened, and he looked beyond guilty for some unknown reason; it wasn't his fault. "I wanted to come because I didn't want to see you disappointed. It's just one day, right? We'll be fine as long as we stay hidden."

Fionna's face was drowned in blush. The corner of her lip quivered into a smile, flattered by FP's loyalty and sheer romantic obedience towards her. He was willing to do anything for the girl no matter the risk, and she failed to realize that. The girl felt entirely guilty for having dragged him into this and making him feel bad. She had to say something to make it up to him, or at least something to comfort the poor soul. "Yeah, we'll be good. And if any bad guys come to beat you up, I'll just whoop them for you!" She cheered with a swing of her arms. Her momentary joyous attitude instantly reverted back to her uneasy nature, remembering the important letter in her backpack. "I still have to deliver that message, and you can't afford to get anywhere near the castle… What am I going to do about that? PG will go bonkers if I don't get the job done!"

That was a valid conclusion, no doubt. They sat around for a moment, coming up with a plan. Cake was the first to speak her mind; "Why don't we just go home?" A smirk crossed her face as she pointed behind herself. The feline desired to be as far away from any source of water as possible.

Fionna ignored the suggestion. They were already this far and weren't about to turn back. "When we get to the castle, I'll go inside by myself. All you need to do is stay outside, be quiet and try not to get wet." She placed her hands on her hips and smiled contently with herself, thinking that was a genius idea. The others seemed to agree with her, for they silently nodded and began to go on their way again. Fionna followed behind.

They didn't have to travel long; the first tree to the swamp fell into sight right before their eyes. "Here it is!" Cake cooed, stretching her arms in front of the vast swamp. The forest towered tall above their bodies, a tall lone tree standing in the center, and the icy rain fell high from the endless sky. The trees ran thick for miles into the swamp. Only so much could be seen through the openings before everything behind it grew dark. The sound of the patter of the rain could be heard falling on the leaves of the terrain, and cries of wildlife echoed from the murk. Neither lightning nor thunder struck the peaceful area. Only a sea of grey clouds moved across the sky above Woobeewoo Swamp. Not a sight of blue peeked from behind the clouds; not even the sun could pierce through. The scent of frigid rain and fresh bark filled the air, along with the smell of the exotic flowers buried inside the land. Woobeewoo was a land of mystery and wonder, and it proved itself to be true through the peaceful presence of the whispering woods.

The trio stood just outside the swamp, only two of them not desiring to enter. Fionna, however, was determined to step foot right into the remarkable swamp. She pulled her backpack off one shoulder and began to dig into it, revealing three umbrellas. One was handed to Cake while the other two remained in Fionna's hand. The human girl couldn't let FP hold one of the umbrellas; he would surely burn it. With an exchange of smiles, they began to emerge into the raining woods, sticking close to the inside of their sacred umbrellas.

"I've never been here before!" Flame Prince gasped upon laying his eyes on the breathtaking swamp. "I've only heard about it. This place is so beautiful." He attempted to watch each and every individual drop of rain, but his slow paced vision couldn't keep up with the quick paced nature. He found himself amazed by how the vegetation still continued to grow despite being drowned in rain. When he heard that this place was a swamp, he expected there to be more water. However, they rarely came across puddles, which had to be stepped around due to his condition.

Fionna watched the Flame Prince awe at everything in his sight. She was amused by his strange behavior. He was normally so knowledgeable about things, but due to his confinement in the Fire Kingdom since birth, he held no education of the outside world. His lack of intelligence in this area was awfully cute, and Fionna couldn't help but giggle at him at times. "Be careful not to stray away from the umbrella," she called to him at times. She didn't even have to bother keeping an eye out on Cake; that feline was practically glued beneath her umbrella.

"And what are these?" Flame Prince asked. He kneeled down next to a strange flower and pointed at it with the very tip of his finger. His eyes sparkled with astonishment, amazed at seeing such a colorful flower. The red of its color was about as bright as FP's skin, yet it restricted itself to such a dark and lonely place.

Fionna kneeled down next to him, holding the umbrella right over his head. "That's a wibbiloh, the healing flower. Legends say they're supposed to revive someone to full health, but I've never seen anyone that I cared about die, so I've never seen its powers. Those flowers are especially rare around these parts. They're naturally found underwater. I guess there's been so much rain lately that one of these guys was able to sprout up here." She leaned close to it and gently stroked its petals as if it were a small child. "You may be really small now, but one day you're going to grow up and be a really big, beautiful wibbiloh just like all of your wibbiloh friends. All of them," she whispered into its core. "Never give up on your dreams." She released the flower and smiled warmly at it, wondering if it felt better after the encouragement speech.

Flame Prince chuckled a bit as he watched her. "You're baloney. But that's what I admire about you." He felt content by the blush on her face, knowing he had pierced her yet again. Fionna seemed to really take interest into that flower, almost as much as he did. It deemed on him that maybe he should pick it for her. Flame Prince reached his hand out towards the flower and touched it, but the impact stung his hand. He quickly pulled away and cupped his wet fingers in his opposite hand. The flower was apparently still too damp for him to touch. He wouldn't be able to touch anything in this place without getting hurt because everything was drenched in water.

"Be careful," Fionna soothed. She smiled as she saw the flame return to FP's fingers. "It's probably best that you don't pick it, anyway. They're pretty rare in a place like this." She had mentioned that before, but apparently her warning went unnoticed. Flame prince must have been so fascinated with this specimen that he didn't hear what she said. He most definitely paid attention this time.

"Hey, look you guys!" Cake called from a distance. She sat on a log and looked out into an open part of the swamp. A strange melody could be heard from the area, so Flame Prince and Fionna eagerly raced behind to see what the commotion was about. Their mouths fell agape at the sight of these odd, golden bell-like creatures dancing about in front of them. With each movement they made, a chime lit up like a ball of light and its melodious note was played. The organized chimes created a gentle tune as they danced together, like a lullaby. It did wonders to the trio's ears as they silently stood back and listened to the creatures play their song.

A sudden thought came to Flame Prince's mind. "Let's go dance together, Fi."

"Wh-what? I can't dance," Fionna protested. She could already feel weak in the knees at the thought of dancing with the charming prince.

"That's alright. I'll teach you." He began to stride towards the open area, and Fionna was forced to follow with the umbrella or else the prince was sure to get rained on. The singing chimes moved out of their way and allowed them access to the dance floor. Flame Prince suddenly turned to the beautiful girl who stood in front of him, and she almost bumped into the boy. She shyly giggled and refused to keep eye contact with him in fear that her knees would collapse. However, she was eager to look up at the love of her life, so she forced her vision to focus on him. Flame Prince was smiling warmly up at her. He held his hands aloft from her face, indicating their style of dance. Fionna, still holding the umbrellas, hovered her hands in front of his. They were almost touching, and that was as close as they needed to be.

Flame Prince cautiously took a step forward, being careful not to burn her. Fionna followed his movement and took a step back. She was clumsy with her footing at first, but it wasn't long before she adapted to this style of dance. Soon enough they were dancing around together in a wide circle in their open range of space. They giggled as they waltzed together, never tearing their eyes away from each other. Their compassionate gazes were locked on their lover, and a deep shade of red stained their merry cheeks. The chimes continued to dance around them, vibrantly lighting up with every joyous step and singing a note with every enthusiastic bounce. They were just as excited as the couple was, dancing around strange people they had never seen before. As a present for the romantic two, the chimes constructed their own song for them in honor of their presence. It moved at a slower pace, so the two were forced to go much slower than they previously were.

One of the chimes walked up behind Fionna while another popped up behind Flame Prince. They were going to surprise these lovers with the one thing that commonly sealed a relationship; a passionate embrace. The chime behind Fionna gently nudged her back, pushing her forward slightly. In the moment, Fionna wasn't aware of the dangers that Flame Prince wielded with his fire. All that she focused on was the embrace she was about to endure. The neighboring chime stood behind Flame Prince, ready to fulfill its role as well. However, when it placed its hands on the prince's burning back to push him forward, it cried out in pain and moved away. Its chime sparked up in a blinding ball of light and its singing notes turned into a high pitched constant ringing. All of the chimes joined in on this ringing and jolted into the trees for safety. The ringing soon died down, for they disappeared deep into the forest.

Despite the tragic event, Flame Prince and Fionna couldn't help but laugh at the amusing scene. Had they gotten any closer, the prince was sure to have burned the human girl. It slightly mortified him that the chime had run away out of pain and fear, but he was relieved that he at least didn't burn Fionna. "I suppose our dance has come to an end," he chuckled in humiliation.

Fionna joined in on the giggle, and her eyes now traditionally locked onto the ground again after becoming aware that she had actually danced with the prince. "Yeah… you dance pretty good." She turned away from him and the two began to stride back to Cake's spot. The interested cat fluttered her eyelashes at the romantic couple. Fionna was recently blushing from the romantic dance, but now her face flushed with humiliation. "H-hey! Don't give me that look!"

"Hoohoo!" Cake laughed, "you two are just so cute! You guys remind me of back in my day when Lord Monochromicorn and I would dance and laugh and spend time together. Ohhh you little critters got me so pumped! I should've invited him down here. We would've had so much fun." The jittery feline squished her cheeks together, trying to force her smile away, but she ultimately failed at the thought of her man. "Anyways, I think I can see where this is going. I think I'll give you two lovebirds some alone time." Cake stood to her paws and was pleased to see that the couple's reddened face had deepened. She leaped down from the log and began to walk away, but not before bestowing a warning; "But don't nunna y'all go past Tier Two, ya got me?!" She pointed back and them and squinted, seeing if they were paying attention. When they nodded, she departed into the woods on her own.

Now that Fionna and Flame Prince were alone, they felt extremely uncomfortable. They directed their gaze away from each other and fixed their clothes to better present themselves, although Fionna had difficulty since she held both umbrellas. They lightly mumbled to each other and sheepishly giggled, unknowing of what to do next. Fionna finally looked up at her prince and flaunted a bashful smile. "You… you want to explore?"

Flame Prince smirked at the idea and nodded.

For most of the day they wandered about Woobeewoo Swamp, musing in strange critters and plants and things of the like. They often just talked about everything and anything, growing closer and closer to each other with every word. As they walked around the unknown terrain, they found themselves moving closer to each other physically as well, practically fitting themselves under one umbrella. Fionna could feel the warmth of Flame Prince's body heat flowing off of him. It made her feel good considering it was so cold in the swamp. She wanted to cuddle up to him, but she never physically could or else she would burn. Flame Prince desired the same thing, but of course they could never truly have their way. They walked as close to each other as they could possibly do so, making sure to keep at a safe distance. Fionna's heart raced at one point on their journey, for she thought she heard FP whisper "I love you," but it must have just been the whisper of the rain.

At one point on their journey, they decided to sit down and take a break. They had been traveling all day so it was time to rest for a while. They came across a log and Fionna sat right down on it. Flame Prince, however, couldn't because it was soaked by the rain. Thankfully, Fionna was thoughtful enough to bring a frying pan for him to sit on. She set it down on the log next to her and he flopped right onto it. For a while, they were silent, taking in the soothing sounds of the forest. However, Fionna soon grew restless since she was always out and about on adventures. Maybe she should start with anther conversation. Yeah, that would do. "Sooo…" she whistled, "how do you like the swamp?"

"Woobeewoo is its own elegant little world. It's much nicer than what I've read about in the books," he cooed with a smile.

And they suddenly grew quiet again.

Now it was Flame Prince who was becoming restless. He wasn't a huge fan of silence, so now it was his turn to bring forth a conversation, more so a question. This little inquiry had struck his wonder since it was mentioned. He looked at Fionna while filled with the uttermost curiosity and shifted in his seat, wondering how to approach the scenario or if she even knew what he would be talking about. Nonetheless, he brought forth the question that had been sitting on the tip of his tongue since the beginning of their solo journey. "What did Cake mean by Tier Two?" His voice slightly cracked, but he was quick to clear his throat.

A wave of blush hit Fionna's face. She squirmed in her chair, now wondering how to tell him. She always assumed he knew what it was. "W-well… Tier One is… is hugging… And Tier Two is… kissing…" She started stuttering, nervous from explaining such an edgy subject.

"Is there anything past Tier Two?" Flame Prince asked with a cocked eyebrow.

"It goes all the way up to Tier 15, but I don't know what Tier 15 is. Cake says to never go there," she said with a puff of her cheeks. She brought her legs to her chest and rested her chin on her knees. "But for now, I guess she expects us to stay at Tier Two."

A moment of silence passed them by before Flame Prince presented the idea; "Would you like to try Tier Two?" He asked. His shy gaze was locked on the ground in front of him and his face was burning hot with passion. He had never done such a thing like that before, especially with anyone he had ever loved. If this was going to be the first time experiencing kissing, he wanted it to be perfect. The romantic setting of Woobeewoo Swamp was perfect enough for him, and he was sitting right next to the love of his life. Flame Prince was eager to try Tier Two, even if they hadn't truly experienced Tier One.

Fionna's cheeks had already been red from the conversation, but now the idea made her face drown in a sea of crimson. "F-FP! We can't do anything like that! I'll get burned." She quieted down and was immediately struck with guilt after looking at the disappointed expression masked on Flame Prince's face. It wasn't his fault that he was like this, but that was just who he was. Fionna took a deep sigh, knowing they'd never be able to feel each other's embrace like the rest of the fortunate couples. "Don't get me wrong… I really want to try Tier Two with you. It's just…"

"You don't want to get burned by me. And that's alright, because I don't want to burn you either." He studied the dirt, watching the rain hit the ground. Each time it marked the dirt, it left a dent in the muddied ground. It wasn't fair that water was able to touch whatever it pleased, yet it was just as dangerous as fire. It was because of his threatening flames that he wouldn't be able to ever be near Fionna. He detested his body for that, and there was nothing he could change about himself. If only he were made of water. "Water…" He silently whispered to himself. His eyes suddenly lit up in realization. Flame Prince stuck a finger out from underneath the umbrella and reached it into the rain. A few drops hit his hand that made his skin sizzle and die into a foul, dead blue color, but it was for the best. He patted the rain drops over his lips and smiled over at Fionna, despite the stinging pain it gave him. "Will you kiss me now?" He teased with a flirtatious wink.

Fionna suddenly looked over to him and let out a loud chuckle. "You look like you rubbed your face in blueberries." It took a moment for her to get over the humorous scene, and then she studied him thoroughly. She was about to experience Tier Two with him- with _Flame Prince. _She honestly didn't think this day would come considering his body condition. Now they were about to do it. They were about to kiss. Her heart raced at a rapid pace and her stomach filled itself with butterflies. She gently shut her eyes and leaned closer to him, and Flame Prince leaned in close as well. Their spines tingled once brushing against each other, and eventually they finally locked lips. Their faces steamed with passion, but they quickly recoiled and turned their attention to the ground. Fionna pressed her fingers against her lips, still tasting the sweet kiss. "That… that was nice." She was still hypnotized by the romantic embrace.

Flame Prince nodded in agreement. "So it was."

They remained in their romantic silence, still basking in the glory of the moment and wondering if they should do it again, until Cake later stumbled upon them deep in the evening.

* * *

**Woohoo! So the next chapter is going to be super exciting. You know, I hadn't realized how difficult it is to make scenes all cute and funny like they do in Adventure Time. I'm always serious with my writing, so with such an adorable little show that's not supposed to be taken seriously I'm just so blah! Haha, but it's whatever. I'll learn the ways of Adventure Time by the end of this story. Maybe. Maybe not.**


	3. Resistance

Chapter Three: Resistance

It was about time that the group settled back home, but not before delivering that letter. Cake soon enough reunited with Fionna and Flame Prince and the trio made their way to Woobeewoo Kingdom. The castle walls were tall and wide and ancient from what they could see on the outside. Luscious moss grew on its stone walls while mushrooms remained at the floor of its base. The fortress looked old and abandoned, but it was very well known that people still lived within the town inside. It was only a matter of discovering it. By the common knowledge of these people's reputation, Fionna alone would have no trouble entering the castle. They would greet her merrily, and they'd be sure to take care of Cake as well. Flame Prince, on the other hand, was a different story. He obviously couldn't waltz in such a place that detested him so much. It would be wise if he stayed outside, and it seemed as if everyone came to that conclusion.

Fionna stood just outside the gate. She smiled warmly at her friends with glistening teeth. "I promise I won't take long, okay? I'll be right in and right out." Fionna looked down at Cake and puffed out her cheeks. "Make sure FP doesn't get wet, okay?" And with that, the courageous girl began to walk off.

Cake pouted and placed her hands on her sassy hips. "And what happens if _I_ get wet, huh?!"

But Fionna couldn't hear the feline. She was already walking into the gate. Her eyes danced around the ancient town. Everywhere she looked was a mossy tower or crumbled rook. Even though it was falling apart, it was still beyond a beautiful place to look at. Many of its mudscamp villagers casually walked about the town. Some of them would stop to bid a hello to the wandering traveler. Some of them even gave her fruit for having walked so far after hearing that she had ventured all the way from the distant Candy Kingdom. The conversations didn't last very long, but they were amusing at the least. Everyone in Woobeewoo was so kind and so benevolent and so carefree. It was difficult to believe that they had caused any sort of threat against the evil Fire Kingdom. It seemed more likely that a scorching tribe of nefarious attributes would be the first to start a war with anyone, but Fionna didn't question FP's background.

She continued through the stone town until she finally reached what she was looking for; the actual castle itself. It stood tall above its vast village, but the fortress was nowhere near as grand as the towering trees. Fionna stood a moment to take in his glory, gazing up at the elegant castle with twinkling pupils. If she had her camera on her, she would've taken a picture of it for safekeeping. She wasn't sure whether or not she'd visit a place like this again. It was common for her to only visit places once.

Fionna stuffed her umbrella inside her backpack before entering the castle. She didn't want bad luck. As soon as she stepped foot into the fortress, she was bombarded with greetings and acts of kindness. Everyone shook her hand and patted her on the back and offered her food, but she turned all of it down. She was on a mission to deliver the letter and didn't have time to dillydally. She had only so much time before the sun set, and Prince Gumball said it was absolutely necessary that the letter was delivered before nightfall, or at least he only stated that it be done that very day. Keeping the letter in mind, she asked the servants for directions to the king. Having nothing to fear, they easily directed her to the throne room. It seemed sort of dangerous to be so friendly; Fionna could have been some sort of assassin or something of the like set out to kill the king, and they would just be handing her off to him. But she didn't judge their behavior. She was just happy that she was able to get to the king so easily.

The king of Woobeewoo was a giant mudscamp. Unlike the others, this one looked vicious, marked with an intimidating scar over his eye. He was also much larger than the others and bigger than Fionna too. He wore a bright crown atop his head, was draped in a greying beard and bore two muscular arms. Compared to his villagers, this mudscamp was quite different. Fionna assumed that everyone in Woobeewoo was plump and cute, but this one was just scary. The Woobeeboo King stood from his throne and marched down the steps with his fists clenched. He came to a stop in front of Fionna and looked down at her, studying the stranger. His expression was dark and scornful, but it unexpectedly changed to joy with a tint of blush n his puffy cheeks as he eccentrically threw his hands in the air. "Oh, my! What a lovely visitor! What is your name? Whatever brings someone like you all the way down to Woobeewoo? You must be so tired from walking for so long. Is there anything I can get for you?" He asked with a pucker of his lips and a bat of his eyelashes.

Fionna chuckled and shook her head. "Nah, man. You're cool. My name is Fionna the human. Nice to meet you, Woobeewoo King," she said with a curtsey. Honestly, she was quite taken aback by this strange behavior. He should have been lean and tough like his appearance, but he was just like every other mudscamp. How relieving, but it didn't solve the case as to whether or not Woobeewoo truly started a war with the Fire Kingdom. She ignored her conclusions and suddenly began to dig into her bag, remembering the reason she had come into this castle in the first place. "I almost forgot! Prince Gumball of Candy Kingdom has a message for you," she cheered. She pulled out the dry envelope covered in glitter and scented with gumdrops and handed it to the king. "I don't exactly know what it's about, but he said it's urgent that you read it right away."

"Hmm…" The king ripped the sealed envelope and dug his puny hand inside. He retrieved a letter and studied it, narrowing his eyes as he looked at the scribbles. He muttered to himself, but his eyes immediately lit up with fascination once reading the end of it. "Ohhhh! Prince Gumball wishes to invite me over for tea! How exciting!" He giggled with a clap of his hands.

Fionna fell into irritated disbelief that _this_ was the entirely urgent letter that the king of Woobeewoo was to receive, but that was just PG's character. Always a little off and questionable. With that taken care of, there was no point in sticking around anymore now that she got the job done. However, the king insisted that she stayed. "Well, my friends are outside waiting for me," she protested, pointing behind herself with her thumb.

"Nonsense!" The king bellowed with a wave of his hands. "Invite them inside. We can all sit around together and enjoy some snacks and beverages."

Fionna shook her head in defense, but at least offered up a friendly smile. "Sorry, Woobeewoo King, but I've got to get going. We're in a rush. I promise that someday I'll come back and visit you." However, as she turned to make her exit, questions began to dawn on her. She wanted to know all about Woobeewoo and Fire Kingdom's past and why they bickered so much and what the reason was that made them not get along. Surely these kind people couldn't have started a war with Fire Kingdom; it was too good to be true. These people were kind and caring, while the Fire Kingdom was, well… evil. She didn't want to believe that either kingdoms had a bad past, but she wanted to know every last detail. Even though her friends were waiting outside, she figured she could spare some time. Besides, it wasn't like anything bad would happen in the meantime. They were safe outside of the castle walls as long as they glued themselves underneath their umbrellas.

"Actually, Woobeewoo King," Fionna started as she stopped and turned to look back at him. He looked overwhelmed with joy. "I was sort of wondering why your kingdom and the Fire Kingdom don't get along." Upon seeing the scornful look on the king's face, Fionna realized it was a mistake to ask him about such a dreadful past. She quickly waved her hands in the air in front of her and started to back away towards the exit. "Unless it's too painful to remember! I didn't mean to upset you! You don't have to tell me anything if you feel uncomfortable!"

"_No!"_ The king's voice echoed throughout the caste. Every mudscamp that was recently standing around began to cower in fear and raced out of the room, dropping whatever they were carrying. Whatever was about to happen next, they didn't want to be a part of it. Woobeeoo King crossed back to his throne and sprawled himself onto its golden seat. He squint his eyes as if he was looking out into the distance at a vision. "We have a horrid past… a past that everyone believes to be true, but is indeed false. You have greatly pleased me by asking of my troubles, for I am finally able to tell someone the truth. Let me bestow upon you the knowledge of our great kingdom…"

The room suddenly began to swirl as if everything was going back in time through a portal. Fionna suddenly broke the portal's concentration by yelling out through her hands; "Wait, I don't really have time for a flashback. Maybe we can catch up on that later," she said with a sheepish pout. "Can't you just give me a brief summary?"

The king's eyes finally closed themselves, and he took in a deep breath and let it all out. "Very well… You see, many years ago before my time, a young flaming lad walked into Woobeewoo Kingdom. Little did he know that this land was covered in an eternal rain, so he immediately collapsed after being touched by the water. Naturally we are good people, so we tried to nurse him back to health, but when he woke he only became viciously angry. He said it was our people who were to blame for his state of unconsciousness. In the midst of his anger, he burned everything down inside our kingdom. And because there was no place for him to hide himself from the rain after burning down the village, his flames went out and he died. The Fire Kingdom became extremely angry with us and claimed that we destroyed their precious boy, but we didn't do a thing. Ever since then, we've been at war with them. The tales are turned; legends say it was _we_ who started the wars. But that simply is not true." He suddenly covered his eyes and began to silently sob. However, his attitude became vicious again as he clenched a wild fist. "I hate those scumbags!"

Fionna stared at him with wide eyes, wondering how to react. This was indeed a bad situation to be in. It was obvious that the Fire Kingdom was bad, but she didn't expect it to be anything as absurd as this. It almost seemed unreal. Sure the Fire Kingdom's people were devious, but they weren't as obnoxiously ignorant to pull such an incredulous stunt. Then again, maybe it was true. Woobeewoo people were peaceful and truthful, so they wouldn't lie about anything like this. But Flame Prince said that it was marked down in history that it was the Woobeewoo people who started the wars. Fionna didn't know who or what to believe. She wanted to believe Woobeewoo King because of his natural kindness, but she also wanted to believe Flame Prince because that was her boyfriend. In order to avoid any trouble, Fionna only agreed with the crazed king. "Wow, those guys are really bad…" She nervously chuckled.

"Indeed they are," Woobeewoo King spat, basking in the history. "All dwellers of the Fire Kingdom should be punished for their evildoing. If I could do so, I would crush them all with my bare bands." He lifted up his petty hand and clenched it into a tight fist, portraying the crushing motion.

Fionna let out another nervous giggle and awkwardly scratched the back of her head. "Yeah… Say…" She suddenly spoke, trying to take a change in notion. She recalled Flame Prince sitting right outside the castle as if that gave her some form of new hope for something. "I know that a majority of the Fire Kingdom is filled with jerks and crooks, but what if there was maybe, I don't know… a few really nice fire people?"

Woobeewoo King stared at her for a long while as if trying to understand her point of few. It was pointless and idiotic, but he tried his best to spare the poor girl's feelings by holding back his crucial tongue. However, he couldn't bear to hold back his opinion any longer and eventually burst, standing from his seat in pride. "There have never, _ever_ been any signs of 'really nice fire people' and there never will be!" His eyes suddenly narrowed and he came closer to the young girl. "Don't tell me you're taking sides with the Flame Kingdom. You're defending them! You're a traitor!"

Fionna took a step back and flailed her arms about in front of her, rapidly shaking her head. "No, no, no! I'm not a traitor! It was just a question. I'm all for Woobeewoo!" She pumped a trembling fist high into the air above her head and cast a crooked smile, hoping to make herself seem convincing.

Woobeewoo King glared at her for a long while, contemplating whether or not she was telling the truth. By the look of that confident smile, it was most obvious she was being honest. He let out a deep sigh and flaunted a proud smile once more, patting his guest roughly on the back. "Good choice, brave wanderer. Now I suppose I've kept you here too long. You're free to be on your way with your friends," he said, knowing she was most likely growing impatient. "You're welcome to visit the kingdom anytime you like. And do please inform Prince Gumball that I would be delighted for a cup of tea soon."

With that said, the two said their goodbyes and Fionna wandered off into the kingdom, retreating back to her friends.

* * *

Cake and Flame Prince waited impatiently outside, tightly clutching onto the umbrellas. Cake flipped her tail around, and every time her tail accidentally left from underneath the umbrella and got hit by a drop of rain, her spine shivered and she curled up into an odd ball. Her eyes darted up at the sky, horrified by the rain. She looked over at Flame Prince who looked beyond concerned the way he paced back and forth. He must have been extremely worried, considering Fionna was taking so long. Maybe there was something she could say to comfort him. Cake was getting tired of moving the umbrella back and forth for him anyway, and the rain hitting her arm was bothering her, so FP was going to have to sit down sooner or later. "These are good people. I'm sure she just caught up in a little friendly conversation, is all," the feline soothed with a flicker of her tail once more.

Flame Prince didn't seem to pay any mind to her, for he continued to nervously pace back and forth. He rubbed his chin in deep thought, wondering where that girl could've possibly been. "She said she promised she wouldn't take long. She said she'd be right in and right out. Where is she?" He lightly shouted, coming to a sudden stop. His flames wildly fluttered about, and Cake had to move the umbrella at a higher elevation so he wouldn't burn it. "I'm really worried that they might be doing something to her. Cake, we have to go in there," FP pleaded, turning to the cat. His eyes were filled with desperation.

Cake narrowed her eyes at the frustrated ball of flame and shook her head. "If you go in there, then those guys are going to beat you to a pulp, honey. You know about all that bad history."

"But what if Fionna is in trouble?!" Flame Prince cried, moving towards her. He stood awfully close to her face. "She might need us right now. The mudscamps have led everyone to believe that they're people of benevolence, but history has bestowed us the common knowledge that they're creatures of malice and destruction. Why is it that everyone continues to believe that these are good people? I won't believe it. I'm most positive that they're doing something to her right now!" Flame Prince could hardly hide his anger, for his flames only grew brighter and stronger. He couldn't help but to turn around and shoot a massive ball of flame towards a tree behind him. It set fire momentarily, but the rain was able to put it out.

Cake stared at him wide eyed and she felt her spine shiver in fear. "Hey, you gotta calm down before you cause a ruckus! If those mudscamps know you're out here, they'll drag you away and do who-knows-what to you!"

"Let them!" Flame Prince screeched, throwing out more blazing balls of fire towards the innocent wildlife.

"Hey, who's there?!" A voice called from inside the walls. Flame Prince got exactly what he wanted. A giant mudscamp appeared from out of the gates. He was coated in steel armor, and his face couldn't be seen by the mask he was wearing. The creature looked far too vicious to be a merry mudscamp. He locked his gaze on Flame Prince through his helmet and let out a fearsome growl. "You! An intruder in our kingdom!" He began to race for the ball of flame as quickly as his feet could take him. More and more guards darted from behind the gate and yelled in preparation to attack. They had spears tied to their bodies, considering it was common that this race didn't have arms.

Without properly thinking of how this could all result in the future, Flame Prince let out a yell as one of them came near him. He used his flames to hoard them off, and it thankfully worked. As he moved around, Cake continued to thrash the umbrella around over his body. "Flame Prince! We gotta get outta here!" She cried, gripping on tightly to the umbrella. But Flame Prince didn't listen. These guards were fierce and they came outside to attack. Something most definitely must have happened to Fionna, and that's why these guards were coming out. They saw her as some sort of threat or spy and now they were looking for other spies because of their little assumption. Flame Prince had to do all that he could to save her now. He knew coming here was a bad idea, but he wanted to make Fionna happy by following her wishes. Because of such a selfless act of nature, it resulted in a consequence. Fionna was probably jailed or killed or being tortured and it was his entire fault because he didn't put his foot down. But he couldn't think about things like that. He had to act in the moment. He had to fight these monsters. He had to go into Woobeewoo Castle and find his girlfriend.

As the mudscamps came closer again, he threw another aggressive ball of flame at them. They all yelled and moved away, terribly frightened of the scorching blazes. One of the mudscamps' armor was burned, and he retreated back into the castle walls in fear. Flame Prince was now refilled with newfound confidence having caused one of the enemies to run away. All that was left were four, and he could take them. He was going to have to if he planned on finding Fionna. One of the mudscamps let out a battle cry as they came for FP, but the prince back flipped over the enemy, landed firmly on his feet and blasted the creature in the back with a punch. The impact was so strong that the soldier fell flat on his face and slid to a stop next to Cake's feet, who hissed at the fish in terror. Two other soldiers stomped towards FP. They huddled themselves close together, and when they neared the ball of fire, they split up and ran around him. They then stopped and kicked the prince in his back. They weren't strong enough to knock him down, but they sure made him angry. Flame Prince's eyes burned with a new rage as he summoned an enormous fireball and shot it at them. They stood there and screamed until it knocked them down.

Now all that was left was a single mudscamp, much larger than the rest. He stood there, intimidating and silent. His breathing could be heard through the mask. The beast sounded infuriated, but even so he did well not to show any emotion. The creature dug its feet through the dirt and gazed at its enemies. One of them was Woobeewoo's nemesis, the Flame Prince. It was well known that a flame could not survive when dowsed with a drop of water. The soldier studied its surroundings, looking to see what was keeping the blaze from getting wet. Obviously there must have been some sort of force field keeping him safe. And there it was. An umbrella dangling over Flame Prince's head. It was connected to something, though. It wasn't logical that an umbrella would be floating around by itself. With more concentration and focus, he came to the conclusion that it was being held by an arm. A cat's arm. And that cat's arm was connected to a cat's body. The feline stood in the background looking hopeless and scared. Yes, that was the source of FP's protection. That was the mudscamp's target.

Now knowing who he had to attack in order to win this battle, the mudscamp let out a mighty roar that echoed throughout the skies and dashed for the Flame Prince. He didn't have to hit the enemy; only its source of protection. Flame Prince did all that he could do to swing rapid balls of fire at the stampeding mudscamp, but this creature was far too fast. It was able to easily dodge side to side and up and down out of the way. Knowing it was no match for Flame Prince, the mudscamp simply ran around him and continued on towards the cat. Flame Prince gasped and stared back at the soldier in confusion, wondering what was going on. Cake's eyes widened after realizing this mudscamp's desire. But before she could even think to react to move out of the way or defend herself, the enormous mudscamp head-butt her right in her forehead. Her eyes fell blank as she crashed down into the mud on her back in a state of unconsciousness. Unaware that she was fading, her grip on the umbrella loosened and it began to fall out of her hands.

Flame Prince watched Cake's own umbrella crash to the dirt almost in slow motion, and he knew it was only a matter of time before the umbrella over his head would fall as well. His apprehensive gaze looked above himself and watched the umbrella's handle unwind from the feline's paw. He reached up to grab at the handle in desperation, but he was made of fire. He couldn't grab it. The object would surely melt in his hands. And it did. As soon as he grabbed onto the stem of the umbrella, it burst into flames. Flame Prince watched in abhorrence as it shriveled into dust in his hands and as the first drop of rain struck him in between the eyes. It stung like a bee, and he covered his face to hide from the pain. But it was no use. The rain wouldn't stop and it continued to fall onto his body, each drop putting out the flames on his skin. He cried out in pain as each pellet shattered against his body, putting another flame out. The red of his skin faded into a deep blue. He was defenseless without his fire and he wouldn't be able to fight properly without it. Weak from this new source of power, the prince collapsed onto his frail knees and let out a wild cough. He looked up at the approaching mudscamp drenched in armor. Through the mask, the prince could see its cruel eyes. Now at the mercy of this enemy, the mudscamp lifted his foot far behind him and brought it forward into the prince's face, knocking him out cold.

The mudscamp looked around at all the destruction caused. The prince managed to burn the sides of a few trees and some holes were scorched up at the top of the leaves. There most definitely was a lot of damaged caused, and the King wouldn't be too happy about this. Flame Prince would be punished for his outrageous actions. This could most likely erupt in another war. And if it did, then so be it.

After the soldiers had woken up and moved themselves off the ground, they were able to drag their new limp prisoners into the kingdom. Those two were sure to face dire punishment.

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**Oops. Totally forgot about this story. I've been so caught up with all of my other ones. Thank you for keeping up with the story so far, and don't be shy to leave a review!:)**


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